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JEWISH SETTLER HATE CRIME IN ISRAEL INCREASINGLY TARGETS CHRISTIANS
EuroNews, EU
May 28 2014
Jerusalem: one city, three religions. In the hills of the Judean
desert, earth and sky have always been separated by a thin line. There
are many lines in this city. The western part is mainly inhabited by
Israelis, the eastern side Palestinians. The Old City is divided into
four quarters: Muslim, Christian, Armenian Orthodox and Jewish. It's
believed here Jesus was crucified, Muhammad went to heaven on a winged
horse and the Ark of the Covenant was laid on Temple Mount. The Old
City's been fought over for 4,000 years. Its status has repeatedly
derailed modern peace talks. We asked an expert why.
Sociologist and anthropologist Gideon Aran said: "Actually, the divide,
the tension, the conflict is not just a religious one. Please remember
that there's a national, political divide and conflict, one atop
the other. The political or religious conflict is imposed upon the
national one. And the two of them together obviously are harder to
solve and are much more bitter."
The latest manifestation of religion-based strife in Israel developed
around four years ago: so-called 'price tag attacks', mostly anti-Arab
hate crimes by Jewish radicals: Palestinian olive trees torn up, their
cars burnt, their tombs desecrated and houses or mosques vandalised
with offensive inscriptions. Yet, particularly in the weeks leading
up to the Pope's visit, the attacks have also increasingly targeted
Christian temples.
According to Aran: "Please remember, this is basically a group of
hooligans, juvenile delinquents who choose their targets randomly, and
they switch from Muslims to Christians -- and especially Jews; that is
actually their main objective: to embarrass the Jewish government and
the Jewish leadership in the settlements in the occupied territories.
So actually they are randomly choosing their targets."
The Israeli security services have created a special anti-price-tag
task force, yet the attacks have multiplied. Most Israelis express
a disgust in the acts.
Our man in Jerusalem, Luis Carballo, said: "The Israeli poet Yehuda
Amihai once wrote that the religious charge is so intense in Jerusalem
that 'everything can be the beginning of a new religion'. And yet
its holiness to the three major religions and sacredness for half of
humanity does not translate into peace."
http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/27/jewish-settler-hate-crime-in-israel-increasingly-targets-christians/
EuroNews, EU
May 28 2014
Jerusalem: one city, three religions. In the hills of the Judean
desert, earth and sky have always been separated by a thin line. There
are many lines in this city. The western part is mainly inhabited by
Israelis, the eastern side Palestinians. The Old City is divided into
four quarters: Muslim, Christian, Armenian Orthodox and Jewish. It's
believed here Jesus was crucified, Muhammad went to heaven on a winged
horse and the Ark of the Covenant was laid on Temple Mount. The Old
City's been fought over for 4,000 years. Its status has repeatedly
derailed modern peace talks. We asked an expert why.
Sociologist and anthropologist Gideon Aran said: "Actually, the divide,
the tension, the conflict is not just a religious one. Please remember
that there's a national, political divide and conflict, one atop
the other. The political or religious conflict is imposed upon the
national one. And the two of them together obviously are harder to
solve and are much more bitter."
The latest manifestation of religion-based strife in Israel developed
around four years ago: so-called 'price tag attacks', mostly anti-Arab
hate crimes by Jewish radicals: Palestinian olive trees torn up, their
cars burnt, their tombs desecrated and houses or mosques vandalised
with offensive inscriptions. Yet, particularly in the weeks leading
up to the Pope's visit, the attacks have also increasingly targeted
Christian temples.
According to Aran: "Please remember, this is basically a group of
hooligans, juvenile delinquents who choose their targets randomly, and
they switch from Muslims to Christians -- and especially Jews; that is
actually their main objective: to embarrass the Jewish government and
the Jewish leadership in the settlements in the occupied territories.
So actually they are randomly choosing their targets."
The Israeli security services have created a special anti-price-tag
task force, yet the attacks have multiplied. Most Israelis express
a disgust in the acts.
Our man in Jerusalem, Luis Carballo, said: "The Israeli poet Yehuda
Amihai once wrote that the religious charge is so intense in Jerusalem
that 'everything can be the beginning of a new religion'. And yet
its holiness to the three major religions and sacredness for half of
humanity does not translate into peace."
http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/27/jewish-settler-hate-crime-in-israel-increasingly-targets-christians/